Gardeners Hollow Leg Pruning Bag

ABSTRACT

A flexible bag holds flexible top opening suitable for inserting typical yard waste debris. The bag is typically attached at hip level. A flexible ring within the top opening assists in one handed operation. In order to lessen injury to the user, the flexible ring within the bag deforms at a steep linear rate such that pressure to the user&#39;s hip area is greatly decelerated and spread over a deflected length flexible ring covered in bag fabric. The disclosed bag is typically used by gardeners for holding trimmings. The hip level attachment aids in the ergonomic proprieties of the invention.

RELATED PATENT APPLICATION AND INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

This is a utility application based upon, and may be considered aContinuation in Part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 29/350,512“Yard Debris Collecting Bag” filed on Nov. 18, 2009. This relatedapplication is incorporated herein by reference and made a part of thisapplication. If any conflict arises between the disclosure of theinvention in this utility application and that in the relatedapplication, the disclosure in this utility application shall govern.Moreover, the inventor(s) incorporate herein by reference any and allpatents, patent applications, and other documents hard copy orelectronic, cited or referred to in this application.

COPYRIGHT AND TRADEMARK NOTICE

This application includes material which is subject or may be subject tocopyright and/or trademark protection. The copyright and trademarkowner(s) has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by any of thepatent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Officefiles or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright and trademarkrights whatsoever.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Technical Field

(1) Field of the Invention

The invention generally relates to flexible containers used to storebush and tree trimmings. More particularly, the embodiments of theinvention are related to systems of wearable containers with flexibleloops used to create and maintain a top opening.

(2) Description of the Related Art—Background Art

U.S. Pat. No. 7,083,331 by Nykoluk issued on Aug. 1, 2006 discloses acompressible stuff sack with a closed bottom side and a top side with anunsupported opening. The Nykoluk bag fails to disclose, anticipate orcontemplate a belt, belt attachment or means of keeping the top openingin an open position.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Technical Problem

The present invention overcomes shortfalls in the related art bypresenting an unobvious and unique combination, configuration and use ofmaterials, straps, flexible rings and other components that haveachieved unexpected results in producing a wearable pruning bag. Theknown related art fails to anticipate, disclose, suggest or teach theuse of the disclosed bag configuration or flexible opening deflectionproperties.

Technical Problem

In the related art gardeners face the problem of bag openings that aretoo floppy, refusing to remain open, or bag openings that are tooridged, injuring the outer leg and hip area of the user.

Additionally, in the related art, gardeners lack means of storingtrimmings by use of a portable and flexible bag that offers anintegrated belt for hip-side trimming storage.

Solution to the Problem

Embodiments of the present invention solve the bag opening retentionproblem by use of flexible oval retention rings that deform underpressure in an unobvious linear manner. The disclosed bag openingdeformation pattern retains just enough rigidity to keep the top portionof the bag open while deforming or flexing adequately so as to not inurethe user who may bump into immoveable objects such as trees.

Embodiments of the present invention solve the absence of a hip-sidestorage solution by presenting a belt assembly allowing the bag to rideupon the hip of the user. Used in combination with the disclosed ringdeformation schedule, gardeners have means of storing trimmings in aportable container that offers an ergonomic bag opening position at hiplevel.

ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION Safety andEfficiency

Embodiments of the present invention provide ergonomic retention andstorage of yard debris, providing a hip level bag opening with just theright amount of flexibility to allow easy access to the bag and to avoidhip bruising and other bag related injuries. Thus, the inventionprovides the advantage of allowing a user to pass yard debris through abag opening that retains an oval shape but yet deforms under pressure soas to not injure the hip or leg area of the user.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top and outer side perspective view of one embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 2 is an outer side views of one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a hip side view of one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a bottom plan view of one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 is chart showing the equation of weight to deflection of anopening loop found in one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 7 is a chart showing the equation of weight to percentage ofdeflection found in a bag opening retention loop of one embodiment ofthe invention.

FIG. 8 is a table of test results showing deflection in the loop as afunction of weight added to the loop.

FIG. 9 is a table of test results showing deflection as a percentage oftotal loop width as deformed by three test weights.

REFERENCE NUMERALS IN THE DRAWINGS

-   -   10 invention in general    -   100 hip loop assembly    -   101 hip side of hip loop assembly    -   102 outer side of hip loop assembly    -   103 rear side of hip loop assembly, assumes bag is on right hip        of user    -   104 front side of hip loop assembly, assumes bag is on right hip        of user    -   105 retention seam for hip loop assembly    -   106 top pleats    -   200 body of bag assembly    -   201 hip side seam of bag assembly    -   202 hip side seam of bag assembly as found within hip loop        assembly    -   203 outer pocket found upon bag assembly    -   204 handle at bottom of bag    -   205 bunching or pleating seam at bottom of bag    -   206 pleats secured by pleating seam at bottom of bag    -   207 belt secured to hip side of bag    -   208 belt retaining patch    -   209 hip side of bag body    -   210 outside portion of bag body    -   300 chart of deflection compared to weight added to loop        assembly    -   301 chart of percentage of deflection as compared to weight        added to loop assembly

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

The following detailed description is directed to certain specificembodiments of the invention. However, the invention can be embodied ina multitude of different ways as defined and covered by the claims andtheir equivalents. In this description, reference is made to thedrawings wherein like parts are designated with like numeralsthroughout.

Unless otherwise noted in this specification or in the claims, all ofthe terms used in the specification and the claims will have themeanings normally ascribed to these terms by workers in the art.

Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout thedescription and the claims, the words “comprise,” “comprising” and thelike are to be construed in an inclusive sense as opposed to anexclusive or exhaustive sense; that is to say, in a sense of “including,but not limited to.” Words using the singular or plural number alsoinclude the plural or singular number, respectively. Additionally, thewords “herein,” “above,” “below,” and words of similar import, when usedin this application, shall refer to this application as a whole and notto any particular portions of this application.

The above detailed description of embodiments of the invention is notintended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise formdisclosed above. While specific embodiments of, and examples for, theinvention are described above for illustrative purposes, variousequivalent modifications are possible within the scope of the invention,as those skilled in the relevant art will recognize. For example, whilesteps are presented in a given order, alternative embodiments mayperform routines having steps in a different order. The teachings of theinvention provided herein can be applied to other systems, not only thesystems described herein. The various embodiments described herein canbe combined to provide further embodiments. These and other changes canbe made to the invention in light of the detailed description.

All the above references and U.S. patents and applications areincorporated herein by reference. Aspects of the invention can bemodified, if necessary, to employ the systems, functions and concepts ofthe various patents and applications described above to provide yetfurther embodiments of the invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, one embodiment of the invention 10 is showngenerally. The hip loop assembly 100 comprises inner rings, not shownthat support an oval bag opening defined by rolled material surroundingthe inner rings. The hip loop assembly 100 comprises a hip side 101 thatpresses against the hip of the wearer or gardener. The deformationqualities, as explained in more detail in FIGS. 6 to 9 keep the hip loopassembly in an open position but yet bend in a manner that minimizes hipand leg injury due to impact with the hip loop assembly.

The outer side 102 of the hip loop assembly generally stays in anexpanded position, keeping the bag opening in an open position, readyfor the insertion of typical yard debris such as leaves, branches, bushtrimmings, tree trimmings and other materials. Typically the hip loopassembly is constructed in an oval shape, with the distance between thehip side 101 and outer side 102 being less than the distance between therear side 103 and front side 104. In the preferred embodiment, theoutside distance between the hip side 101 and outer side 102 is in therange of 21 to 23 cm; while the outside distance between the rear side103 and the front side 104 is in the range of 24 to 27 cm. The finisheddiameter of the hip loop assembly is in the range of 1.5 to 3 cm. In thepreferred embodiment the length of the bag 200 is between 50 to 60 cm.

In the preferred embodiment the bag is made from one rectangular sheetmaterial with two side ends and two top ends. The side ends meet and areattached at the hip side seam 202. The bottom end is pleated and securedby a pleating seem 205, shown on FIG. 2. The top end of the rectangularsheet of material is used to contain loop rings, not shown, to form thehip loop assembly 100.

Referring to FIG. 2, the outer side 210 of the bag body is shown with anoptional outer pocket 203. The outer side 102 of the hip loop assemblyis just above the outer pocket 203. The lower section of the bagfeatures a handle 204 used to empty the bag. The bunching or pleatingseam 205 is shown just above the handle. The pleating seam 205 securesseveral pleats 206. The pleats 206 are helpful in closing the bottom endof the bag without cutting the original rectangular sheet of material

Referring to FIG. 3 a hip side view of one embodiment of the inventionis presented. On the hip side 209 of the bag the hip side seam 201 runsfrom the pleat seam 205 and under the belt retaining patch 208. The beltretaining patch secures a belt 207 used to secure the bag to a user'ship area.

A retention seam 105 securing the hip loop assembly is shown just belowthe hip side 101 of the hip loop assembly.

Referring to FIG. 4 a top plan view of the hip loop 100 assembly isshown with opening pleats 106 on the inside sections of the hip loopassembly 100. Looking down into the bag, the pleating seam is shown andis bisected by the hip side seam 201 of the bag assembly.

Referring to FIG. 5 a bottom view of one embodiment of the invention ispresented. The handle 204 is shown sewn into the pleating seam 205.Pleats 206 are shown to be secured by the pleating seam.

Referring to FIG. 6, a chart illustrates the test results of placingthree weights upon the hip side 101 of the outer loop assembly andmeasuring the deflection or downward movement of the outer loopassembly. The weights, 0.5 kg, 1.0 kg and 1.5 kg produced deflections of2 cm, 8 cm and 15 cm respectively. The pattern of deflection may beexpressed as a linear equation of y=13x−4.667 wherein x represents thehorizontal axis of weight measured in kg and y represents the verticalaxis of deflection measured in cm. The testing was conducted by placingthe outer side 102 of the hip loop assembly on a flat solid surface andpositioning the hip side 101 of the hip loop assembly perpendicularlyupon the flat solid surface. Weights were placed upon the hip side 101and gravity was allowed to lower the hip side toward the flat solidsurface. The testing was performed using the preferred embodiment asdescribed above. The results were unexpected, as a very steep line wasfound to fit the three data points. The resulting line equation is wellsupported by the high value of R².

Referring to FIG. 7 a graph and equation showing the results ofmeasuring deflection as a percentage of opening width is presented. Theresults were unexpected as the linear equation is very steep and isY=59x−21.333. The great increase in deflection found in testing showsthat the hip loop assembly greatly deflects to absorb the normal impactsof 0.5 to 1.5 kg. Such impacts can be expected as a user, especiallyolder users bump into buildings, stairs and trees. The seep deflectionrate also protects hips and legs from trauma as weight is added to thebag.

FIGS. 8 and 9 present tables to more clearly explain the test results.

These and other changes can be made to the invention in light of theabove detailed description. In general, the terms used in the followingclaims, should not be construed to limit the invention to the specificembodiments disclosed in the specification, unless the above detaileddescription explicitly defines such terms. Accordingly, the actual scopeof the invention encompasses the disclosed embodiments and allequivalent ways of practicing or implementing the invention under theclaims.

While certain aspects of the invention are presented below in certainclaim forms, the inventors contemplate the various aspects of theinvention in any number of claim forms.

Embodiments of the invention include, but are not limited to thefollowing items:

Item 1. A bag comprising:

a) a flat rectangular piece of flexible material having two long sideedges and a short top edge and a bottom edge;b) wherein a the two long side edges are joined by one hip side seam201;c) wherein the bottom edge is attached along a pleating seam 205 andsecures pleats 206 along the bottom edge, thus forming a bag assembly200;d) wherein the short top edge encloses one or more flexible loop ringsand attaches to the rectangular piece of flexible material by use of aretention seam 105 thus forming a hip loop assembly 100;e) wherein a belt is attached to a hip side 209 section of the bag body200 by use of a belt retaining patch 208; andf) wherein a handle 204 is attached within the pleating seam 205.

Item 2. The bag of item 1 wherein the one or more flexible loop ringsdeflect in a linear fashion when pressed.

Item 3. The bag of item 1 wherein the flexible loop rings within the hiploop assembly 100 form an oval shape of approximately 20 to 24 cmmeasured from a hip side 101 to an outer side 102 of the hip loopassembly and of approximately 23 to 28 cm measured from a rear side 103and the front side 104 of the hip loop assembly.

Item 4. The bag of item 3 wherein a 0.5 kg of weight applied to the hipside of the 101 of the hip loop assembly causes the hip side of the hiploop assembly to travel 1 to 3 cm toward the outer side 102 of the hiploop assembly.

Item 5. The bag of item 4 wherein a 1.0 kg of weight applied to the hipside of the 101 of the hip loop assembly causes the hip side of the hiploop assembly to travel 6 to 10 cm toward the outer side 102 of the hiploop assembly.

Item 6. The bag of item 5 wherein a 1.5 kg of weight applied to the hipside of the 101 of the hip loop assembly causes the hip side of the hiploop assembly to travel 13 to 117 cm toward the outer side 102 of thehip loop assembly.

1. A bag comprising: a) a flat rectangular piece of flexible materialhaving two long side edges and a short top edge and a bottom edge; b)wherein a the two long side edges are joined by one hip side seam; c)wherein the bottom edge is attached along a pleating seam and securespleats along the bottom edge, thus forming a bag assembly; d) whereinthe short top edge encloses one or more flexible loop rings and attachesto the rectangular piece of flexible material by use of a retention seamthus forming a hip loop assembly; e) wherein a belt is attached to a hipside section of the bag body by use of a belt retaining patch; and f)wherein a handle is attached within the pleating seam.
 2. The bag ofclaim 1 wherein the one or more flexible loop rings deflect in a linearfashion when pressed.
 3. The bag of claim 1 wherein the flexible looprings within the hip loop assembly form an oval shape of approximately20 to 24 cm measured from a hip side to an outer side of the hip loopassembly and of approximately 23 to 28 cm measured from a rear side andthe front side of the hip loop assembly.
 4. The bag of item 3 wherein a0.5 kg of weight applied to the hip side of the hip loop assembly causesthe hip side of the hip loop assembly to travel 1 to 3 cm toward theouter side of the hip loop assembly.
 5. The bag of claim 4 wherein a 1.0kg of weight applied to the hip side of the of the hip loop assemblycauses the hip side of the hip loop assembly to travel 6 to 10 cm towardthe outer side of the hip loop assembly.
 6. The bag of claim 5 wherein a1.5 kg of weight applied to the hip side of the of the hip loop assemblycauses the hip side of the hip loop assembly to travel 13 to 117 cmtoward the outer side 102 of the hip loop assembly.